Business Law and Ethics Napster Case - 2125 Words

Table of content Table of content pages Introduction......................................................................................... 1 The internet piracy Napster case and other peer to peer system........... 1-3 What should be done to stop internet piracy or make it useful for companies......... 3-4 Conclusion................................................................................................................ 4 References......................................................................................................†¦show more content†¦Users linked to Napster were able to share files with other and download music from almost any other computer present on the network. Napster claimed to have over 20 million users in July 2000, all of them making copies of each others’ music. By that time, Napster became the centre of a controversy about online file sharing. Part of Napster’s appeal was intertwined with the novelty of digital music: Many technically inclined people enjoyed using computer programs to organize their music collections and also liked being able to â€Å"burn† their own CD mixes. But the truly unprecedented aspect of Napster was that it gave users convenient access to a seemingly unlimited selection of music—for free. A lot of fans and users of Napster did not consider the download of music as piracy; they said that Napster was just helping them to share files and not steal them. They also stated that Napster permitted to independent musician to become well known. A teenager quoted in a June 2000 Newsweek feature on Napster summed up the typical view: â€Å"People don’t think it’s anything bad. . . . Or think about it at all.† Meanwhile, the creators of Napster claimed that they were not responsible for what users did with their software. The music industry disagreed. â€Å"What Napster is doing threatens legitimate E-commerce models and is legally and morally wrong,† said Hilary Rosen, then-president of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the trade group that represents the U.S.Show MoreRelatedEthical Computing: Copying Music or Software from Another Person or over the Internet1338 Words   |  5 Pagesisnt theirs (Wilson, 2007). This is forcing the issue of copyright infringement and the protection of intellectual property at a global scale. In so doing, this dynamics is also re-ordering ethics surrounding all forms of digital content as well. Opening Statements The combined effects of the freemium business models that offer free services underwritten by advertising are now dominating the Web, shifting the expectations of computer users globally as a result. In conjunction with this shift inRead MoreNapster : The Problem Of Copyright Infringement981 Words   |  4 PagesThe Napster web site made file swapping over the Internet available via the software necessary for the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file transfer to work. P2P is software that when downloaded onto someone s computer, enables that person to access another person s computer to find and copy certain files that the software is designed to recognize. It was used primarily for copying MP3 files, as a result avoiding the need to actually purchase music on CD or some other format. The popularity of Napster happenedRead MoreShawn Fanning, Creator of Napster, Changed the Music Industry2085 Words   |  8 Pagesbuzzing about. His idea was simple, to create a program where users were able to share filers over a central server, specifically music files. This became known as Napster. Napster, which was created in 1999, became an internet sensation in the blink of an eye. It was a free file-sharing community that involved millions of users. Napster linked numbers computers to a centralized server, which was accessible to almost anyone that had access to the internet. When logged onto the server, users couldRead More File Sharing Essay2581 Words   |  11 Pageslarge issue today in society even though it has existed for decades. It has been the recent advances in our technology that has made it main stream and in the eyes of the general public. File sharing today tests the limits of technology along with our ethics making it a fuzzy grey area. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;When discussing file sharings effect on society, first you should have a brief understanding about the terminology, technology, and methods that are used. File sharing in its simplest formRead MoreEssay on Electronic File Sharing2697 Words   |  11 PagesInternet, it became possible for a single person to share (more like distribute without authorization) with the whole world with ease. This has allowed for the much more significant financial damage to the parties being taken advantage of, in this case, the music industry. In my view, this is wrong. Unauthorized file sharing is bad for all parties, whether they know it or not, and should not be allowed. There are a couple of technologies that have really helped facilitate electronic file sharingRead More The Ethics of File Sharing Software Essay3352 Words   |  14 PagesThe Ethics of File Sharing Software Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ethical problem that file sharing software creates when used to transfer copy written material. It is contested that the very existence of this software promotes piracy. The paper will focus on the creators of the file sharing software, knowing that the user employs their product illegally. The software creators (Kazaa, Grokster, Morpheus, etc) are claiming that they cannot control what theRead More Hackers and the Evolution of Intellectual Property Rights Essay2142 Words   |  9 Pagesmost important such things are patents and copyrights. Patents protect inventions, and copyrights protect original forms of expression (Fisher 1). In both cases, the right to ownership amounts to ownership of an idea, not a physical object. Intellectual Property Rights in the United States The first American federal copyright law was enacted in the first year after the states ratified the Constitution. The original protection extended was for a period of fourteen years, with one renewalRead MoreFile Sharing And Web Piracy Essay1492 Words   |  6 Pagesthe developers of the P2P application. though P2P networks ar in all probability the foremost common and accessible to the common web user, there ar a number of alternative applications and/or strategies that give constant services and in several cases quicker access to a lot of content. As expressed antecedently, generally users have access to any or all varieties of digital content; this content includes however isn t restricted to: film, music or audio, software, video games, pictures, and documentsRead More Intellectual Property in an Interconnected Digital World Essay example2209 Words   |  9 Pagesalready started to attribute authorship of works to individuals. The purpose is to encourage people to make n ew inventions by rewarding them with the exclusive right to own their ideas. Laws have been made to prohibit people from taking other peoples ideas unlawfully (i.e., stealing) and in general, these laws have been successful in preventing the crime before it is done, and punishing the criminals after it is done. However, in recent years, the new phenomena of the Internet and digital technologyRead MoreFile Sharing And The Internet Piracy1468 Words   |  6 Pagesor paid for by the developers of the P2P application. Although P2P networks are probably the most common and accessible to the average internet user, there are a host of other applications and/or methods that provide the same services and in many cases faster access to more content. As stated previously, typically users have access to all types of digital content; this content includes but is not limited to: film, music or audio, software, video games, pictures, and documents. As one might have